UGA Arch slated for restoration work after commencement exercises

Jim Thompson

Wednesday

Apr 29, 2015 at 4:29 PM

For the next week or so, the University of Georgia Arch will be a major focus of campus life as soon-to-be graduates of the state's flagship institution of higher education line up to have their pictures made with family and friends in front of the iconic symbol of the school.

What those students won't know as they gather and walk through the entrance to North Campus is that as soon as this year's round of commencement exercises is over - they begin May 8 and close out May 16 as the UGA School of Law holds its graduation - the Arch is scheduled for restoration work that could last through the summer.

According to a news release from the university, the work will begin May 19, and will comprise "a thorough cleaning as well as new primer, paint and wiring. Preservation repairs will be made, and a corrosion treatment will be applied." The work will be done by UGA's Facilities Management Division, and scaffolding, fencing and other protective measures will be placed around the area, according to the university.

The last work done on the Arch was five years ago, as the structure was repainted.

"The Arch is a very historic campus landmark, and it will be handled with the utmost care throughout this process," Brett Ganas, director of the grounds department at UGA, said in the news release. "These preservation efforts will last for decades and will ensure the Arch

continues to be a longstanding part of UGA's campus."

The Arch, cast at an Athens foundry in the 1850s, was originally a part of the North Campus fence, which was renovated and repaired three years ago. For years, the Arch included gates between its three pillars to secure the campus at night.

The Arch is intended to represent the seal of the state of Georgia, with the three pillars representing the state motto, "Wisdom, Justice and Moderation." The three pillars of UGA's Arch are embedded in the concrete steps on which they stand, and won't be removed during the upcoming renovation, according to the university's news release.

Since the early 1900s, UGA tradition has held that underclassmen are not allowed to walk under the Arch, and it becomes a popular gathering spot on commencement day as new graduates take their first steps under the structure.

Earlier this year, a small group of students with mobility disabilities pressed the university to make that tradition accessible to them.

While there are ways mobility-disabled students can get to the Arch, they can't get through it because of the steep steps between it and the Broad Street sidewalk.

In addition to work planned for this summer on the Arch itself, the university crew will build a six-foot-wide path to the west of the Arch to allow for easier access to and from the Broad Street bus stop and the rest of North Campus. The path, which will open before the start of fall semester, will improve accessibility to the Arch, but won't address the students' concerns about getting through the structure.

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